• Train Name: The train has been named 'Namo Green Rail'.
• Route (Operational Path): This train will run between Jind Junction and Sonipat (via Gohana Junction) in Haryana.
• Route Length: The total distance of this route is approximately 89 kilometers (or close to 90 km).
• Number of Coaches: It is a 10-coach passenger train.
• Engine Capacity: It is equipped with a 3,200 horsepower (HP) system and a 1,200 kW hydrogen fuel cell system.
• Speed: Its maximum design speed is 110 km/h, but initial operations will take place at a speed of 75 km/h.
• Fuel Capacity: With a full hydrogen tank, the train can cover a distance of up to 250 kilometers.
• Technology Type: It is based on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) technology.
• Emissions (Byproduct): Instead of smoke, this pollution-free train emits only water vapor and heat.
• Hydrogen Depot: The country's first hydrogen storage and refueling station has been established in Jind (Haryana). Name of the Mission: This railway initiative is termed the 'Hydrogen for Heritage' mission, under which hydrogen-powered trains will operate on historic routes (such as the Kalka-Shimla line).

National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM):

• Launch: Approved by the Union Cabinet on January 4, 2023.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• Total Budget Allocation: ₹19,744 crore up to the financial year 2029-30.
• Mission Goal: To produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by the year 2030.

Haryana (Jind Visit):

• Flagged off India's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered train, "Namo Green Rail"
• Laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth approximately ₹14,700 crore from Eklavya Stadium, Jind
• Laid the foundation stone for a modern Sikh museum in Kurukshetra, Haryana

Chandigarh Visit:

• Launched health, education, and road projects worth over ₹6,600 crore in Chandigarh
• Inaugurated the 'Advanced Mother and Child Centre' and 'Advanced Neurosciences Centre' at PGIMER
• Road connectivity: Inaugurated the 6-lane Zirakpur Greenfield Bypass

Punjab (Jalandhar Visit):

• Inaugurated 75 redeveloped railway stations across the country, including Jalandhar Cantt
• Inaugurated the Daulatpur Chowk-Katoli rail line and launched the Katoli-Ambala train service, as well as the Amritsar (Chheharta)-Varanasi train service, connecting two major cultural hubs
• Laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth over ₹5,470 crore to enhance connectivity in Jalandhar
• New Train Service: Launched a new train service named 'Sant Ravidas Express' between Amritsar (Chheharta) and Varanasi

• Total Beneficiaries: India has surpassed the mark of 1 billion (100 crore) social security beneficiaries.
• Global Ranking: India now ranks second (2nd) in the world in terms of the number of beneficiaries.
• Coverage Percentage: The country's social security coverage has risen from 19% in 2015 to 68.4% now.
• Evaluating Body: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has validated and commended these Indian schemes.
• Total Schemes: The ILO has evaluated 32 major social security schemes of India.
• Ministry: This data was released by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Key Supporting Schemes:

Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY):

• Launch: 2018 (from Ranchi, Jharkhand)
• Benefits: Health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year. It is the world's largest government-funded health scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN):

• Launch: 2019 (from Gorakhpur, UP)
• Benefit: Financial assistance of ₹6,000 per year to farmers (in 3 installments of ₹2,000)

Atal Pension Yojana (APY):

• Launch: 2015
• Target Group: Unorganized sector workers (Age limit: 18 to 40 years)

e-Shram Portal:

• Launch: 2021
• Objective: To create the first national database of unorganized sector workers

• Institutional Coverage: The policy will be implemented across Delhi's 11 state universities, 13 government-aided colleges, and government ITI and polytechnic institutes.
• Engagement of School Students: Students from Delhi government schools will also be able to avail the benefits of this policy through these higher education institutions.
• Total Budget: Over ₹400 crore
• Duration: For the next 5 years
• Goal/Vision: To make Delhi the country's leading innovation and entrepreneurship hub and to transform the youth from 'job seekers' into 'job creators'.
• Monitoring Committee: State Incubation Policy Monitoring Committee (SIPMC)
• Major Event: The 'Delhi Startup Yuva Mahotsav' (Youth Festival) will be organized annually to connect the youth with investors.
• Long-term Goal: To facilitate the establishment of at least 5,000 startups in Delhi by the year 2035.

National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT):

• Chief Minister: Rekha Gupta
• Lieutenant Governor: Taranjit Singh Sandhu
• Political Status: Delhi is a Union Territory with its own Legislative Assembly.
• Assembly Seats: Total of 70 seats
• Parliamentary Representation: 7 seats in the Lok Sabha and 3 seats in the Rajya Sabha. Foundation Day: It was designated a Union Territory on November 1, 1956, and granted the status of 'National Capital Territory' (NCT) through the 69th Constitutional Amendment in 1991.
• Geographical Location: Delhi is situated in North India on the banks of the Yamuna River.
• Boundaries: It is bordered by Uttar Pradesh to the east and surrounded by the state of Haryana on the north, west, and south sides.
• Total Area: Approximately 1,484 square kilometers.
• Total Districts: Currently, Delhi has 11 administrative districts (e.g., New Delhi, Central Delhi, South Delhi, etc.).
• Ancient Name: During the Mahabharata era, Delhi was known as 'Indraprastha,' the capital of the Pandavas.
• Delhi Sultanate: Delhi officially became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate starting in 1206, during the reign of Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
• Mughal Era: Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and established 'Shahjahanabad' (present-day Old Delhi) here.
• British Era: The British government announced the shifting of India's capital from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi in 1911. 'New Delhi' was officially inaugurated as the capital of India on February 13, 1931.
• Architects: New Delhi was designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Red Fort, Qutub Minar, and Humayun's Tomb.
• National Landmarks: Rashtrapati Bhavan (located on Raisina Hill), Parliament House (Samvidhan Sadan and the new Parliament building), and India Gate.
• Religious and Modern Sites: Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple (Bahá'í House of Worship), Jama Masjid, and the National War Memorial.

• Event Name: 'Saushrutam 2026' – A three-day international symposium on Ayurvedic surgery (Surgical Science)
• Inaugurated by: President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu
• Date of Event: July 15, 2026 (on the occasion of Sushrut Jayanti)
• Venue: All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi
• Ministry: The symposium was organized under the aegis of the Ministry of Ayush.
• Inauguration of New Technology: On this occasion, the President inaugurated an AI-enabled 3-Tesla high-field MRI facility at AIIA, established at a cost of ₹14.5 crore.
• Report Released: A report titled "Assessment of the Professional Careers of Female Ayurveda Graduates," prepared by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), was released.

Other Important Exam-Relevant Facts:

• Father of Plastic Surgery/Surgery: Acharya Sushrut
• Sushrut Samhita: A renowned ancient Indian text primarily dealing with surgery; it was authored by Acharya Sushrut.
• Shalya Tantra: The branch of Ayurveda dealing with surgical intervention, trauma care, and wound management.
• AIIA Headquarters: The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) is located in New Delhi.

• Full Name: Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development
• Launch: It was launched in the 2021-22 financial year.
• Nature: It is a first-of-its-kind global public-private partnership (PPP) initiative where the tyre industry is directly investing in the development of rubber plantations.
• Financial Participation: It is a project with a total outlay of ₹1,100 crore, funded by four major tyre companies (Apollo Tyres, CEAT, JK Tyre, and MRF) under the 'Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association' (ATMA).
• Implementation: The project is being implemented by the Rubber Board of India, a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Area of ​​Expansion: The project is being implemented across 113 districts in the states of North East India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura) and West Bengal.
• Upcoming Phase: iSPEED Initiative – As the plantations are now entering the production stage, 'iSPEED' (INROAD Skilling and Production Efficiency Enhancement Drive) is being launched as the next phase of the scheme at a cost of ₹145 crore.

• Capital: Kyiv
• Currency: Ukrainian Hryvnia
• President: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• Prime Minister: Serhiy Koretskyi
• Land Borders (7 countries): Ukraine shares its land borders with a total of seven countries: Russia (northeast and east), Belarus (north), Poland (west), Slovakia (west), Hungary (west), Romania (southwest), and Moldova (southwest).
• Maritime Borders: To the south, it is bordered by the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov.
• Kerch Strait: This waterway connects the Sea of ​​Azov to the Black Sea and separates Ukraine from Russia's Krasnodar region.
• Major Rivers: The Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, and Donets are the major rivers, most of which flow into the Black Sea.
• Name of Parliament: Verkhovna Rada
• India was among the first countries to recognize Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and diplomatic relations between the two nations were established in January 1992.

Portal Names: The two digital platforms are named 'Kaushal Setu' and 'Kaushal Sarathi'.

• Launch Date: They were launched on July 15, 2026.
• Occasion: The launch took place on the occasion of 'World Youth Skills Day'.
• Venue: This state-level event was organized at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow.
• Inaugurated by: Kapil Dev Agarwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Vocational Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, inaugurated them.
• MoU (Memorandum of Understanding): The UP Skill Development Mission (UPSDM) has signed agreements with KLK Private Limited and Winsome Textile Industries Limited for training in Robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence).
• Coffee Table Book: A book titled 'Skilling the Future Uttar Pradesh: Journey from Training to Transformation' was released on this occasion.

General Information about Uttar Pradesh:

• Capital: Lucknow (situated on the banks of the Gomti River)
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Anandiben
• Number of Districts: There are a total of 75 districts and 18 divisions. Bicameral legislature: Uttar Pradesh has both a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council.
• Lok Sabha seats: 80 (highest political representation in the country)
• Rajya Sabha seats: 31
• State animal: Barasingha (Swamp Deer)
• State bird: Sarus Crane
• State tree: Ashoka
• State flower: Palash
• State aquatic animal: Ganges River Dolphin
• State emblem: Two fish and a bow and arrow within a circle (this emblem was adopted in 1938).
• Classical dance: Kathak; it originated in Uttar Pradesh.
• Major folk dances: Charkula, Raslila, Nautanki, Kajri, and Jhoola.

South Korea (Republic of Korea):

• A developed democratic nation located in East Asia, covering the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
• Official Name: Republic of Korea
• Capital: Seoul, which is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas.
• Parliament Name: National Assembly
• Official Language: Korean (written in the Hangul script)
• Currency: South Korean Won (KRW)
• Borders: North Korea to the north (separated by the DMZ), the Yellow Sea to the west, and the Sea of ​​Japan to the east.
• Topography: Approximately 70% of the country is mountainous. Hallasan is the highest peak, located on Jeju Island.

Central banks of major countries:

• India: Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
• USA: Federal Reserve (commonly referred to as 'The Fed')
• United Kingdom (UK): Bank of England
• China: People's Bank of China (PBOC)
• Japan: Bank of Japan (BOJ)
• European Union: European Central Bank (ECB) (This is the shared bank for the 20 countries that have adopted the Euro)
• Russia: Bank of Russia (Central Bank of the Russian Federation)
• Australia: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)
• Canada: Bank of Canada
• South Korea: Bank of Korea (BOK)
• Pakistan: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)
• Bangladesh: Bangladesh Bank
• Sri Lanka: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL)

• State: Manipur
• Community: Vaishnavite Meitei community
• Alternative names: Manipur's local Rath Yatra or Kang Jatra
• Hindu month: Ashadha (June or July in the English calendar)
• Principal Deities: Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra
• Main Temple: Shri Shri Govindaji Temple (Imphal, Manipur)
• Duration: A 10-day festival
• Special Dances: 'Choitep Chongba' and Sankirtana
• Initiated by: Maharaja Gambhir Singh in the 19th century

Other famous festivals of Manipur:

• Lai Haraoba: The oldest cultural festival of the Meitei community, celebrated to appease the deities.
• Yaoshang: Manipur's 'Holi' (celebrated for 5 days; the main attraction is the 'Thabal Chongba' dance).
• Sajibu Cheiraoba: The traditional New Year festival of the Meitei community.
• Chumpha: A post-harvest festival celebrated by the Tangkhul Naga tribe.
• Shirui Lily Festival: A festival held in Ukhrul district to promote tourism and the conservation of the 'Shirui Lily' (Manipur's state flower).
• Sangai Festival: Manipur's largest state-level tourism festival (named after the 'Sangai deer', the state animal of Manipur).

• Why in the news? Former ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath has joined the board of the Chennai-based space startup 'Agnikul Cosmos' as an observer.
• ISRO Tenure: Dr. S. Somanath served as the Chairman of ISRO from January 2022 to January 2025. The Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions were launched during his tenure.
• What is Agnikul Cosmos? It is a prominent Indian private space technology startup based in Chennai (Tamil Nadu).
• Mission 02: This is Agnikul Cosmos's upcoming major mission, aimed at safely recovering the rocket booster from the sea.
• First 3D-printed rocket engine: Agnikul has developed the world's first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine, named 'Agnibaan'. First Private Launchpad: Agnikul Cosmos has established India's first private rocket launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota).

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):

• India's national space agency; it operates under the Department of Space (DOS) and reports directly to the Prime Minister.
• Establishment: August 15, 1969
• Founder: Dr. Vikram Sarabhai (known as the father of the Indian space program)
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Predecessor: INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) was formed in 1962, prior to ISRO.
• First Indian satellite: Aryabhata (launched on April 19, 1975, using a Soviet Union rocket)
• First satellite launched from Indian soil: Rohini (RS-1) (launched in 1980 by India's first indigenous rocket, SLV-3)
• First Indian astronaut: Rakesh Sharma (went into space on April 3, 1984, aboard the Soviet Union's 'Soyuz T-11' mission)

• WHO and UNICEF data indicate that India accounts for 679,000 of the 13.5 million global 'zero-dose' children (those who have received no vaccines) in 2025; this is a significant reduction from the 909,000 recorded in 2024.
• With this improvement, India has dropped out of the list of the top 10 countries with the highest number of 'zero-dose' children. Nigeria ranks first with 2.2 million unvaccinated children.
• Globally, 90% (116 million) of infants received at least one dose of the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine, while 85% (110 million) received all three doses.
• The number of unvaccinated children has decreased by approximately 750,000 compared to the previous year.
• An estimated 7.3 million infants dropped out of the immunization process after receiving the first dose of DTP but before receiving the first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1), resulting in only 84% of children receiving MCV1 and 77% receiving MCV2.
• In 2025, 57 countries reported large or severe measles outbreaks.
• Data from 195 countries show that 100 countries have maintained 90% or higher coverage for all three DTP doses since 2019; meanwhile, among countries that had less than 90% coverage in 2019, 30 have shown improvement, whereas 65 remain stagnant or are lagging behind.

• Species Name: Lestes paloti. It is a new species of 'Spreadwing Damselfly'.
• Location of Discovery: Western Ghats of Kerala.
• Basis of Naming: It has been named in honor of Muhammed Jafer Palot, a scientist with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), who has made significant contributions to the study of biodiversity.
• Publication: This significant discovery was published in the prestigious International Journal of Odonatology, which is dedicated to research on dragonflies and damselflies.
• Four-Decade Gap: This is the first new species discovered in India under the Lestes genus in the last 40 years (approximately four decades). Prior to this, Lestes garoensis was discovered in 1987.
• After a Century in the Western Ghats: A species of the Lestes genus has been discovered in the Western Ghats region after nearly 100 years (a century). Previously, Lestes malabaricus was identified in the year 1929.

• Time of Discovery: Scientists confirmed this new species in July 2026.
• Scientific Name: Colobus congoensis
• Local Name: Locals call it 'Likweli'.
• Rarity: It is only the fifth new monkey species discovered in Africa in the last 75 years.
• Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Specific Location: It has primarily been found in the forests of Lomami National Park.
• Geographical Region: Congo Basin – the world's second-largest rainforest region.
• Color: The monkey has a glossy black body.
• Lips: Its lips are pinkish-orange, which is its most distinctive feature.
• Vocalizations: It is known for its distinctive, roaring call.
• IUCN Category: It has been recommended for classification as 'Endangered'.
• Previous Discovery: A monkey species named 'Lesula' was discovered in this same national park (Lomami) in 2012.